New York, October 16, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the stabbing of an Israeli soldier today by a Palestinian man impersonating a member of the press, a move that further imperils journalists on dangerous assignments and has potential to further restrict freedom of the media in the region.
“We’re stepping up our efforts to discredit ISIL’s propaganda, especially online,” President Barack Obama told delegates at the Leaders’ Summit on Countering Violent Extremism last month. The social media counter-offensive comes amid U.N. reports of a 70 percent increase in what it terms “foreign terrorist fighters”–citizens of U.N. member states who have left to join…
Nairobi, October 16, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the acquittal by an Ethiopian court today of four Zone 9 bloggers charged with terrorism. Abel Wabella, Atnaf Berhane, and Natnail Feleke, jailed since April 2014, are scheduled to be released today, while exiled blogger Soleyana S. Gebremichael was acquitted in absentia, news reports said. A…
New York, October 15, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the passage late Wednesday by Kenya’s national assembly of a bill that would impose a harsh fine or two years in jail, or both, for a journalist who is found guilty of defaming the Kenyan parliament or its members. The bill must be approved by…
On Friday the Zone 9 bloggers are due to appear in court in Ethiopia for the 39th time since their arrest in April 2014. Endalk Chala, a co-founder of the group which is being honored with an International Press Freedom Award from CPJ this year, provides an overview of the drawn out trial and finds…
New York, October 14, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release from prison of Bülent Keneş, editor-in-chief of the English-language daily Today’s Zaman, who was arrested on Friday on charges of insulting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Twitter. The daily reported today that the İstanbul 7th Penal Court of Peace ordered Keneş to…
New York, October 9, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists denounces today’s arrest in Istanbul of Bülent Keneş, the editor-in-chief of the English-language daily newspaper Today’s Zaman. Keneş was taken from his office by police after İstanbul 5th Penal Judge of Peace Cevdet Özcan issued the warrant for his arrest on charges of insulting Turkish President…
New York, October 8, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on authorities in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh to thoroughly investigate the shooting death of journalist Hemant Yadav, determine a motive, and bring the perpetrators to justice. The attack follows the killing of another journalist in the state in June.
Somalia tops list of countries where journalists are murdered and killers go free New York, October 8, 2015- The ambush of a convoy in South Sudan and the hacking deaths of bloggers in Bangladesh propelled the two nations onto the Committee to Protect Journalists’ Global Impunity Index of countries where journalists are murdered and their…